The present invention relates to a means for enhancement of the impact, smoke flavor and satisfaction experienced by smokers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mouthpiece or exit tip baffle for filtered cigarettes or filtered cigarette holders which enhances the subjective effect of the smoke.
As the trend toward cigarettes of lower delivery, that is, cigarettes which deliver less "tar", nicotine or the like continues, some smokers have complained of too little impact, smoke flavor or satisfaction. One solution is to add more flavor to the tobacco than is conventionally added. It has been discovered, however, that the subjective effect of the smoke may be enhanced without the addition of increased amounts of flavor by employing the mouthpiece of the present invention.
Heretofore, numerous mouthpieces, or holders, have been employed with smoking products such as cigarettes, and a number of these have provided for a localized exit orifice or orifices for the smoke. The orifices have been located centrally, at the periphery, or at locations therebetween in the outlet end of the mouthpiece or holder, but the location has generally be dictated by the filtering, or cooling function, of the mouthpiece, or some such similar function.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,945,207 discloses a mouthpiece for non-filtered cigarettes, which is preferably constructed of wood and has a longitudinal smoke passage therein. The end of the smoke passage abutting the tobacco is of substantially less area in transverse section than the tobacco portion of the cigarette. The passage tapers toward a point intermediate the ends of the mouthpiece and then continues as a relatively narrow passage which connects with an orifice in the other end of the mouthpiece.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,855 discloses a mouthpiece for an unfiltered cigarette having vertilating perforations therein which are open to the atmosphere and which are provided to deliver vertilating air directly into the mouth of the smoker separately from the smoke stream. The smoke stream passes through a passage which, at the end abutting the tobacco, is a cylinder having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the tobacco section of the cigarette. The passage at the other, or outlet, end of the mouthpiece is also cylindrical but has a reduced diameter and has an opening for communicating with the mouth of the smoker. The passage between the two cylinders decreases smoothly and continuously from the diameter of the first cylindrical portion to the diameter of the second cylindrical portion. In an alternative embodiment, the smaller cylinder is dispensed with and the larger cylinder decreases in diameter until it joins and is the same diameter as an orifice in the outlet end of the mouthpiece.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,428 discloses a combined tar-and-nicotine removal device which is adapted to receive one end of a cigarette. Contained within the device is a first filter adjacent the end of the inserted cigarette, and adjacent the opposite end of the filter is a tar removal device. The tar removal device is an annular ring or cylinder having a diameter less than the diameter of the filter, and which cylinder decreases in diameter until it is the same diameter as a second cylinder, which is a central passageway connecting with a crosscut chamber that connects with an arcuate passageway which, in turn, connects through a porous plug with a second filter. After the smoke from the cigarette has passed through the first filter, the first cylinder, the second cylinder, the crosscut passage, the arcuate passage, the porous plug and then the second filter, it reaches the smoker's mouth.
Various other such mouthpieces, holders and filters, which are believed to be less relevant to the present invention than those disclosed in the aforementioned patents, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,062,219; 3,394,713; 3,460,544; 3,504,677; 3,685,523; 3,768,489; 3,840,029 and 3,939,848.